<h2>Name</h2>
<p>
The Surah derives its name from the mention of the word <em>al-hashr</em> in
verse thereby implying that it is the Surah in which the word <em>al-hashr</em>
has occurred.
</p>
<h2>Period of Revelation</h2>
<p>
<em>Bukhari</em> and <em>Muslim</em> contain a tradition from Hadrat Sa'id bin Jubair to
the effect "When I asked Hadrat Abdullah bin Abbas about Surah Al-Hashr,
he replied that it was sent down concerning the battle against the
Bani an-Nadir just as Surah Al-Anfal was sent down concerning the
Battle of Badr. In another tradition from Hadrat Sa'id bin Jubair, the
words cited from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) are: <em>Qul:
Surah an-Nadir</em>: Say, it is Surah an-Nadir." The same thing has been
related also from Mujahid, Qatadah, Zuhri, Ibn Zaid, Yazid bin Ruman,
Muhammad bin Ishaq and others. They are unanimous that the followers
of the Book whose banishment has been mentioned in it, imply the Bani
an-Nadir. Yazid bin Ruman, Mujahid and Muhammad bin Ishaq have stated
that this whole Surah, from beginning to end, came down concerning this
very battle. 
</p>
<p>
As for the question as to when this battle took place,
Imam Zuhri has stated on the authority of Urwah bin Zubair that it
took place six months after the Battle of Badr. However, Ibn Sa'd, Ibn
Hisham and Baladhuri regard it as an event of Rabi' al-Awwal, A. H. 4,
and the same is correct. For all traditions agree that this battle
took place after the incident of Bi'r Ma'unah, and historically also
it is well known that the incident of Bir Ma'unah occurred after the
Battle of Uhud and not before it.
</p>
<h2>Historical Background</h2>
<p>
In order to understand the subject matter of this Surah well, it is
necessary to have a look at the history of the Madinah and Hejaz Jews,
for without it one cannot know precisely the real causes of the Holy
Prophet's dealing with their different tribes the way he did. 
</p>
<p>
No
authentic history of the Arabian Jews exists in the world. They have
not left any writing of their own in the form of a book or a tablet
which might throw light on their past, nor have the Jewish historians
and writers of the non-Arab world made any mention of them, the reason
being that after their settlement in the Arabian peninsula they had
detached themselves from the main body of the nation, and the Jews of
the world did not count them as among themselves. For they had given
up Hebrew culture and language, even the names, and adopted Arabism
instead. In the tablets that have been unearthed in the archaeological
research in the Hejaz no trace of the Jews is found before the first
century of the Christian era, except for a few Jewish names. Therefore,
the history of the Arabian Jews is based mostly on the verbal
traditions prevalent among the Arabs most of which bad been spread by
the Jews themselves. 
</p>
<p>
The Jews of the Hejaz claimed that they had come
to settle in Arabia during the last stage of the life of the Prophet
Moses (peace be upon him). They said that the Prophet Moses had
despatched an army to expel the Amalekites from the land of Yathrib
and had commanded it not to spare even a single soul of that tribe.
The Israelite army carried out the Prophet's command, but spared the
life of a handsome prince of the Amalekite king and returned with him
to Palestine. By that time the Prophet Moses had passed sway. His
successors took great exception to what the army had done, for by
sparing the life of an Amalekite it had clearly disobeyed the Prophet
and violated the Mosaic law. Consequently, they excluded the army from
their community, and it had to return to Yathrib and settle there for
ever.(<em>Kitab al-Aghani</em>, vol. xix, p. 94). Thus the Jews claimed that
they had been living in Yathrib since about 1200 B.C. But, this had in
fact no historical basis and probably the Jews had invented this story
in order to overawe the Arabs into believing that they were of noble
lineage and the original inhabitants of the land. 
</p>
<p>
The second Jewish
immigration, according to the Jews, took, place in 587 BC. when
Nebuchadnezzer, the king of Babylon, destroyed Jerusalem and dispersed
the Jews throughout the world. The Arab Jews said that several of
their tribes at that time had come to settle in Wadi al-Qura, Taima,
and Yathrib.(Al-Baladhuri, <em>Futuh al-Buldan</em>). But this too has no
historical basis. By this also they might have wanted to prove that
they were the original settlers of the area. 
</p>
<p>
As a matter of fact, what
is established is that when in A. D. 70 the Romans massacred the Jews
in Palestine, and then in A. D. 132 expelled them from that land, many
of the Jewish tribes fled to find an asylum in the Hejaz, a territory
that was contiguous to Palestine in the south. There, they settled
wherever they found water springs and greenery, and then by intrigue
and through money lending business gradually occupied the fertile
lands. Ailah, Maqna, Tabuk, Taima, Wadi al Qura, Fadak and Khaiber
came under their control in that very period, and Bani Quraizah, Bani
al-Nadir, Bani Bahdal, and Bani Qainuqa also came in the same period
and occupied Yathrib. 
</p>
<p>
Among the tribes that settled in Yathrib the
Bani al Nadir and the Bani Quraizah were more prominent for they
belonged to the Cohen or priest class. They were looked upon as of
noble descent and enjoyed religious leadership among their co-
religionists. When they came to settle in Madinah there were some
other tribes living there before, whom they subdued and became
practically the owners of this green and fertile land. About three
centuries later, in A. D. 450 or 451, the great flood of Yaman
occurred which has been mentioned in vv. 16-17 of Surah Saba above. As a
result of this different tribes of the people of Saba were compelled
to leave Yaman and disperse in different parts of Arabia. Thus, the
Bani Ghassan went to settle in Syria, Bani Lakhm in Hirah (Iraq), Bani
Khuzaah between Jeddah and Makkah and the Aus and the Khazraj went to
settle in Yathrib. As Yathrib was under Jewish domination, they at
first did not allow the Aus and the Khazraj to gain a footing and the
two Arab tribes had to settle on lands that had not yet been brought
under cultivation, where they could hardly produce just enough to
enable them to survive. At last, one of their chiefs went to Syria to
ask for the assistance of their Ghassanide brothers; he brought an
army from there and broke the power of the Jews. Thus, the Aus and the
Khazraj were able to gain complete dominance over Yathrib, with the
result that two of the major Jewish tribes, Bani an-Nadir and Bani
Quraizaha were forced to take quarters outside the city. Since the
third tribe, Bani Qainuqa, was not on friendly terms with the other
two tribes, it stayed inside the city as usual, but had to seek
protection of the Khazraj tribe. As a counter measure to this Bani an-
-Nadir and Bani Quraizah took protection of the Aus tribe so that they
could live in peace in the suburbs of Yathrib. 
</p>
<p>
Before the Holy
Prophet's arrival at Madinah until his emigration the following were
the main features of the Jews position in Hejaz in general and in
Yathrib in particular:
</p>
<OL>
<p>
<LI> In the matter of language, dress,
civilization and way of life they had completely adopted Arabism, even
their names had become Arabian. Of the 12 Jewish tribes that had
settled in Hejaz, none except the Bani Zaura retained its Hebrew name.
Except for a few scattered scholars none knew Hebrew. In fact, there
is nothing in the poetry of the Jewish poets of the pre-Islamic days
to distinguish it from the poetry of the Arab poets in language, ideas
and themes. They even inter-married with the Arabs. In fact, nothing
distinguished them from the common Arabs except religion.
Notwithstanding this, they had not lost their identity among the Arabs
and had kept their Jewish prejudice alive most ardently and jealously.
They had adopted superficial Arabism because they could not survive in
Arabia without it. 
</p>
<p>
<LI> Because of this Arabism the western
orientalists have been misled into thinking that perhaps they were not
really Israelites but Arabs who had embraced Judaism, or that at least
majority of them consisted of the Arab Jews. But there is no
historical proof to show that the Jews ever engaged in any
proselytizing activities in Hejaz, or their rabbis invited the Arabs
to embrace Judaism like the Christian priests and missionaries. On the
contrary, we see that they prided themselves upon their Israelite
descent and racial prejudices. They called the Arabs the Gentiles,
which did not mean illiterate or uneducated but savage and uncivilized
people. They believed that the Gentiles did not possess any human
rights; these were only reserved for the Israelites, and therefore, it
was lawful and right for the Israelites to defraud them of their
properties by every fair and foul means. Apart from the Arab chiefs,
they did not consider the common Arabs fit enough to have equal status
with them even if they entered Judaism. No historical proof is
available, nor is there any evidence in the Arabian traditions, that
some Arab tribe or prominent clan might have accepted Judaism. However,
mention has been made of some individuals, who had become Jews. The
Jews, however, were more interested in their trade and business than
in the preaching of their religion. That is why Judaism did not spread
as a religion and creed in Hejaz but remained only as a mark of pride
and distinction of a few Israelite tribes. The Jewish rabbis, however,
had a flourishing business in granting amulets and charms, fortune
telling and sorcery, because of which they were held in great awe by
the Arabs for their "knowledge" and practical wisdom. 
</p>
<p>
<LI> Economically
they were much stronger than the Arabs. Since they bad emigrated from
more civilized and culturally advanced countries of Palestine and
Syria, they knew many such arts as were unknown to the Arabs; they
also enjoyed trade relations with the outside world. Hence, they had
captured the business of importing grain in Yathrib and the upper
Hejaz and exporting dried dates to other countries. Poultry farming
and fishing also were mostly under their controls They were good at
cloth weaving too. They had also set up wine shops here and there,
where they sold wine which they imported from Syria. The Bani Qainuqa
generally practised crafts such as that of the goldsmith, blacksmith
and vessel maker. In all these occupations, trade and business these
Jews earned exorbitant profits, but their chief occupation was trading
in money lending in which they had ensnared the Arabs of the
surrounding areas. More particularly the chiefs and elders of the Arab
tribes who were given to a life of pomp, bragging and boasting on the
strength of borrowed money were deeply indebted to them. They lent
money on high rates of interest and then would charge compound interest,
which one could hardly clear off once one was involved in it. Thus,
they had rendered the Arabs economically hollow, but it had naturally
induced a deep rooted hatred among the common Arabs against the Jews.
</p>
<p>
<LI> The demand of their trade and economic interests was that they
should neither estrange one Arab tribe by befriending another, nor
take part in their mutual wars. But, on the other hand, it was also in
their interests, that they should not allow the Arabs to be united and
should keep them fighting and entrenched against each other, for they
knew that whenever the Arab tribes united, they would not allow them
to remain in possession of their 1large properties, gardens and fertile
lands, which they had come to own through their profiteering and money
lending business. Furthermore, each of their tribes also had to enter
into alliance with one or another powerful Arab tribe for the sake of
its own protection so that no other powerful tribe should overawe it
by its might. Because of this they had not only to take part in the
mutual wars of the Arabs but they often had to go to war in support of
the Arab tribe to which their tribe was tied in alliance against
another Jewish tribe which was allied to the enemy tribe. In Yathrib
the Bani Quraizah and the Bani an-Nadir were the allies of the Aus
while the Bani Qainuqa of the Khazraj. A little before the Holy
Prophet's emigration, these Jewish tribes had confronted each other in
support of their respective allies in the bloody war that took place
between the Aus and the Khazraj at Buath. 
</p>
</OL>
<p>
Such were the conditions
when Islam came to Madinah, and ultimately an Islamic State came into
existence after the Holy Prophet's (upon whom be Allah's peace)
arrival there. One of the first things that he accomplished soon after
establishing this state was unification of the Aus and the Khazraj and
the Emigrants into a brotherhood, and the second was that he concluded
a treaty between the Muslims and the Jews on definite conditions, in
which it was pledged that neither party would encroach on the rights
of the other, and both would unite in a joint defense against the
external enemies. Some important clauses of this treaty are as follows,
which clearly show what the Jews and the Muslims had pledged to adhere
to in their mutual relationship: 
</p>
<p>
"The Jews must bear their expenses
and the Muslims their expenses. Each must help the other against
anyone who attacks the people of this document. They must seek mutual
advice and consultation, and loyalty is a protection against treachery.
They shall sincerely wish one another well. Their relations will be
governed by piety and recognition of the rights of others, and not by
sin and wrongdoing. The wronged must be helped. The Jews must pay with
the believers so long as the war lasts. Yathrib shall be a sanctuary
for the people of this document. If any dispute or controversy likely
to cause trouble should arise, it must be referred to God and to
Muhammad the Apostle of God; Quraish and their helpers shall not be
given protection. The contracting parties are bound to help one
another against any attack on Yathrib; Every one shall be responsible
for the defence of the portion to which he belongs" (<em>lbn Hisham</em>, vol.
ii, pp. 147 to 150). 
</p>
<p>
This was on absolute and definitive covenant to
the conditions of which the Jews themselves had agreed. But not very
long after this they began to show hostility towards the Holy Prophet
of Allah (upon whom be Allah's peace) and Islam and the Muslims, and
their hostility and perverseness went on increasing day by day. Its
main causes were three: 
</p>
<p>
First, they envisaged the Holy Prophet (upon
whom be Allah's peace) merely as a chief of his people, who should be
content to have concluded a political agreement with them and should
only concern himself with the worldly , interests of his group. But
they found that he was extending an invitation to belief in Allah and
the Apostleship and the Book (which also included belief in their own
Prophets and scriptures), and was urging the people to give up
disobedience of Allah and adopt obedience to the Divine Commands and
abide by the moral laws of their own prophets. This they could not put
up with. They feared that if this universal ideological movement
gained momentum it would destroy their rigid religiosity and wipe out
their racial nationhood. 
</p>
<p>
Second, when they saw that the Aus and the
Khazraj and the Emigrants were uniting into a brotherhood and the
people from the Arab tribes of the surrounding areas, who entered
Islam, were also joining this Islamic Brotherhood of Madinah and
forming a religious community, they feared that the selfish policy
that they had been following of sowing discord between the Arab tribes
for the promotion of their own well being and interests for centuries,
would not work in the new system, but they would face a united front
of the Arabs against which their intrigues and machinations would not
succeed. 
</p>
<p>
Third, the work that the Holy Messenger of Allah (upon whom
be Allah's 'peace) was carrying out of reforming the society and
civilization included putting an end to all unlawful methods" in
business and mutual dealings. More than that; he had declared taking
and giving of interest also as impure and unlawful earning. This
caused them the fear that if his rule became established in Arabia, he
would declare interest legally forbidden, and in this they saw their
own economic disaster and death. 
</p>
<p>
For these reasons they made
resistance and opposition to the Holy Prophet their national ideal.
They would never hesitate to employ any trick and machination, any
device and cunning, to harm him. They spread every kind of falsehood
so as to cause distrust against him in the people's minds. They
created every kind of doubt, suspicion and misgiving in the hearts of
the new converts so as to turn them back from Islam. They would make
false profession of Islam and then would turn apostate so that it may
engender more and more misunderstandings among the people against
Islam and the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace). They would
conspire with the hypocrites to create mischief and would cooperate
with every group and tribe hostile to Islam. They would create rifts
between the Muslims and would do whatever they could to stir them up
to mutual feuds and fighting. The people of the Aus and the Khazraj
tribes were their special target, with whom they had been allied for
centuries. Making mention of the war of Buath before them they would
remind them of their previous enmities so that they might again resort
to the sword against each other and shatter their bond of fraternity
into which Islam had bound them. They would resort to every kind of
deceit and fraud in order to harm the Muslims economically. Whenever
one of those with whom that had business dealings, would accept Islam,
they would do whatever they could to cause him financial loss. If he
owed them something they would worry and harass him by making repeated
demands, and if they owed him something, they would withhold the
payment and would publicly say that at the time the bargain was made
he professed a different religion, and since he had changed his
religion, they were no longer under any obligation towards him.
Several instances of this nature have been cited in the explanation of
verse 75 of Surah Al Imran given in the commentaries by Tabari, Nisaburi,
Tabrisi and in <em>Ruh al Ma'ani</em>. 
</p>
<p>
They had adopted this hostile attitude
against the covenant even before the Battle of Badr. But when the Holy
Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace) and the Muslims won a decisive
victory over the Quraish at Badr, they were filled with grief and
anguish, malice and anger. They were in fact anticipating that in that
war the powerful Quraish would deal a death blow to the Muslims. That
is why even before the news of the Islamic victory reached Madinah
they had begun to spread the rumor that the Holy Prophet (upon whom
be Allah's peace) had fallen a martyr and the Muslims had been routed,
and the Quraish army under Abu Jahl was advancing on Madinah. But when
the battle was decided against their hopes and wishes, they burst with
anger and grief. Ka'b bin Ashraf, the chief of the Bani an-Nadir,
cried out:"By God, if Muhammad has actually killed these nobles of
Arabia, the earth's belly would be better for us than its back." Then
he went to Makkah and incited the people to vengeance by writing and
reciting provocative elegies for the Quraish chiefs killed at Badr.
Then he returned to Madinah and composed lyrical verses of an
insulting nature about the Muslim women. At last, enraged with his
mischief, the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace) sent Muhammad
bin Maslamah Ansari in Rabi al-Awwal, A. H. 3, and had him slain. (<em>Ibn
Sad, Ibn Hisham, Tabari</em>). 
</p>
<p>
The first Jewish tribe which, after the
Battle of Badr, openly and collectively broke their covenant were the
Bani Qainuqa. They lived in a locality inside the city of Madinah. As
they practised the crafts of the goldsmith, blacksmith and vessel
maker, the people of Madinah had to visit their shops fairly
frequently. They were proud of their bravery and valor. Being
blacksmiths by profession even their children were well armed, and
they could instantly muster 700 fighting men from among themselves.
They were also arrogantly aware that they enjoyed relations of
confederacy with the Khazraj and Abdullah bin Ubbay, the chief of the,
Khazraj, was their chief supporter. At the victory of Badr, they
became so provoked that they began to trouble and harass the Muslims
and their women in particular, who visited their shops. By and by
things came to such a pass that one day a Muslim woman was stripped
naked publicly in their bazaar. This led to a brawl in which a Muslim
and a Jew were killed. Thereupon the Holy Prophet (upon whom be
Allah's peace) himself visited their locality, got them together and
counseled them on decent conduct. But the reply that they gave was;
"O Muhammad, you perhaps think we are like the Quraish; they did not
know fighting; therefore, you overpowered them. But when you come in
contact with us, you will see how men fight."This was in clear words a
declaration of war. Consequently, the Holy Prophet (upon whom be
Allah's peace) laid siege to their quarters towards the end of Shawwal
(and according to some others, of Dhi Qa'dah) A. H. 2. The siege had
hardly lasted for a fortnight when they surrendered and all their
fighting men were tied and taken prisoners. Now Abdullah bin Ubayy
came up in support of them and insisted that they should be pardoned.
The Holy Prophet conceded his request and decided that the Bani
Qainuqa would be exiled from Madinah leaving their properties, armour
and tools of trade behind. (<em>Ibn Sa'd, Ibn Hisham, Tarikh Tabari</em>). 
</p>
<p>
For
some time after these punitive measures (i. e. the banishment of the
Qainuqa and killing of Ka'b bin Ashraf the Jews remained so terror
stricken that they did not dare commit any further mischief. But later
when in Shawwal, A. H. 3, the Quraish in order to avenge themselves for
the defeat at Badr, marched against Madinah with great preparations,
and the Jews saw that only a thousand men had marched out with the
Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace) as against three thousand
men of the Quraish, and even they were deserted by 300 hypocrites who
returned to Madinah, they committed the first and open breach of the
treaty by refusing to join the Holy Prophet in the defense of the city
although they were bound to it. Then, when in the Battle of Uhud the
Muslims suffered reverses, they were further emboldened. So much so
that the Bani an-Nadir made a secret plan to kill the Holy Prophet
(upon whom be Allah's peace) though the plan failed before it could be
executed. According to the details, after the incident of Bi'r Maunah
(Safar, A. H. 4) Amr bin Umayyah Damri slew by mistake two men of the
Bani Amir in retaliation, who actually belonged to a tribe which was
allied to the Muslims, but Amr had mistaken them for the men of the
enemy. Because of this mistake their blood money became obligatory on
the Muslims. Since the Bani an-Nadir were also a party in the alliance
with the Bani Amir, the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace) went
to their clan along with some of his Companions to ask for their help
in paying the blood money. Outwardly they agreed to contribute, as he
wished, but secretly they plotted that a person should go up to the
top of the house by whose wall the Holy Prophet was sitting and drop a
rock on him to kill him. But before they could execute their plan,
Allah informed him in time and be immediately got up and returned to
Madinah. 
</p>
<p>
Now there was no question of showing them any further
concession. The Holy Prophet at once sent to them the ultimatum that
the treachery they had meditated against him had come to his
knowledge; therefore, they were to leave Madinah within ten days; if
anyone of them was found staying behind in their quarters, he would be
put to the sword. Meanwhile Abdullah bin Ubayy sent them the message
that he would help them with two thousand men and that the Bani
Quraizah and Bani Ghatafan also would come to their aid; therefore,
they should stand firm and should not go. On this false assurance they
responded to the Holy Prophet's ultimatum saying that they would not
leave Madinah and he could do whatever was in his power. Consequently,
in Rabi' al-Awwal, A. H. 4, the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's
peace) laid siege to them, and after a few days of the siege (which
according to some traditions were 6 and according to others 15 days)
they agreed to leave Madinah on the condition that they could retain
all their property which they could carry on thee camels, except the
armor. Thus, Madinah was rid of this second mischievous tribe of Jews.
Only two of the Bani an-Nadir became Muslims and stayed behind. Others
went to Syria and Khaiber.
</p>
<p>
This is the event that has been discussed in this Surah.
</p>
<h2>Theme and Subject Matter</h2>
<p>
The theme of the Surah as stated above, is an appraisal of the battle
against the Bani an Nadir. In this, on the whole, four things have
been discussed. 
</p>
<OL>
<p>
<LI> In the first four verses the world has been,
admonished to take heed of the fate that had just befallen the Bani
an-Nadir. A major tribe which was as strong in numbers as the Muslims,
whose people boasted of far more wealth and possession who were by no
means ill equipped militarily and whose forts were well fortified
could not stand siege even for a few Days, and expressed their
readiness to accept banishment from their centuries old, well
established settlement even though not a single man from among them
was slain. Allah says that this happened not because of any power
possessed by the Muslims but because the Jews had tried to resist and
fight Allah and His Messenger, and those who dare to resist the power
of Allah, always meet with the same fate. 
</p>
<p>
<LI> In verse 5, the rule of
the law of war that has been enunciated is: the destruction caused in
the enemy territory for military purposes does not come under
"spreading mischief in the earth." 
</p>
<p>
<LI> In vv 6-10 it has been stated
how the lands and properties which come under the control of the
Islamic State as a result of war or peace terms, are to be managed. As
it was the first ever occasion that the Muslims took control of a
conquered territory, the law concerning it was laid down for their
guidance. 
</p>
<p>
<LI> In vv. 11-17 the attitude that the hypocrites had
adopted on the occasion of the battle against the Bani an-Nadir has
been reviewed and the causes underlying it have been pointed out. 
</p>
<p>
<LI> The whole of the last section (vv. 18-24) is an admonition for all
those people who had professed to have affirmed the faith and joined
the Muslim community, but were devoid of the true spirit of the faith.
In it they have been told what is the real demand of the Faith, what
is the real difference between piety and wickedness, what is the place
and importance of the Quran which they professed to believe in, and
what are the attributes of God in Whom they claimed to have believed.
</p>
</OL>

